Another Bahraini jailed for a Twitter message

Bahraini anti-government campaigner Nabeel Rajab, a prominent activist who has been using social media to highlight human rights abuses in the kingdom, was jailed on Monday after being sentenced to three months imprisonment for a tweet.

The following is the tweet purported to have landed Rajab in jail. He addresses ruling prime minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman, uncle of the country’s reigning king, following his visit to the town of Muharraq (Al Mahraq). Rajab intimates that the crowds greeting Prince Khalifa were paid to receive him. His tweet asks the unelected prime minister, who has held the position since 1971, to “leave the residents of Al Mahraq, its Sheikhs and its elderly. Everyone knows that you are not popular here, and if there wasn’t a need for money, they wouldn’t have gone out to receive you. When will you step down?”

Slaiss alleged that military personnel were ordered to vote in elections

15:09 September 1, 2014

Dubai: The spokesperson for a group of young activists was on Sunday remanded in custody for seven days over a tweet he posted.

Yacoub Slaiss, who was the public voice of Al Fateh Youth Coalition (FYC), a group that often supported the government, is to be investigated over claiming on Twitter about three months ago that “military personnel received orders” to vote in parliamentary elections and calling for criminalising the alleged orders to cast ballots, Bahraini media reported.

Under Bahrain’s election laws, men and women in uniform are allowed to cast ballots.

The Bahraini opposition opposes the right of military personnel to vote, claiming that the votes go in favour of pro-government candidates.

Civil Rights Defenders calls on the Bahraini authorities to immediately release leading human rights defender Maryam Al-Khawaja, who was arrested on August 30 at Bahrain International Airport. Security Officials at the airport informed Maryam Al-Khawaja that her Bahraini nationality had been revoked and that she was no longer welcome in the country: here. See also here.

On 1 September, Marietje Schaake submitted written questions to High Representative Catherine Ashton concerning the case of the arrest of Maryam al-Khawaja in Bahrain. Please find a plain text version and the official document below: here.

On 30 August, the prominent Bahraini human rights defender Maryam al-Khawaja, was detained upon her arrival in Manama, the country’s capital. She risked arrest for the chance to see her ailing father, dissident Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is serving a life sentence, and has been on hunger strike since 26 August: here.

On 30 August 2014, human rights defender Ms Maryam Al-Khawaja was detained upon arrival at Bahrain International Airport. She was travelling to visit Mr Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja in detention, who has been on hunger strike since 24 August 2014. See here.